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(No Model.)' Z'Sheets-Sheet 1.

D; M. MAXON. VESSEL STEERING GEAR.

N0. 5Z6,93 0. Patented Oct. 2, 189.4.

P I 7" L a 7 ATTEST' J J fig-2 1, 'INVENTOR WNW-W Jana 1/ 1 I (NoModel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D'. M. MAXON. .VESSEL STEERING GEAR.

Patented Oct. 2, 1894.

a SQ x 1 In.

M y j i f T UN-iTE STAT PATENT 4' OFFICE DANIEL.

,To all whom it may concern:

VESSEL;STEERlNG-GEAR.

MABSHMANiMAXON, or BA? CITY, MICHIGAN, 'Assicnon oF-onn HALF T WALTER-H.WHITTEMORE, or SAME PLACE.

- K srncrrrca'rroiv forming part of Iietters ma No. 526,930,datedOctOber 2,1894.

' Application iiledNovember l4rl893. Serial No. 490,923. (K013101181) Beit known that I, DANIEL MAR's nAN MAXON,a citizen 'of the. UnitedStates, residing atBay-Oity, in .the'county of Bay and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VesselSteering- Gear,.of'w-hich the following is a specifica=' tion, referencebeing bad therein to the' accompanyingdrawings;

' struction of a steering gear comprising a power cylinder to whichsteam or other fluid is adapted to be fed to actuate the same, a

nection between the valve and wheel; furment of the connecting mechanismbetween the wheel andpower cylinder, the valve and the rudder,wherebyincase the power de-T vices b'reakEor become inoperative for-any,

reason, the wheel may .the rudder; The invention still be used tooperate further consists "in the peculiar construction of the valve, andfurther in the construction,arrangement and cornbination of the variousparts. p

proved apparatus.

of thepower cylinder and the connections to 3 Fig, 3 is a horizontalsection In the drawings, Figurel is a plan of my im- Fig. 2 is a frontelevation the rudder.

"' through the cylinder and power valve. Fig. 4

is a-similar section Fig.- 5 1s an enlarged sectlon.

"as mwFiga-dx opens the exhaust from one end of the cylin der therebyshifting the piston and-the movement of the piston automatically returnsthe valve to its initial position, balancing the piston in its newposition thereby not only serving to actuate the rudder but to hold itfixed at every point of its adjustment.

A is the rudder; B, the post; 0, the quadrant thereon; a lover or armextending forwardly from the quadrant and forming The inventionconsists'in the peculiar com" valve controlling the fluid supply and conther inthe peculiar construction and arrange-- the actuating arm or lever foroperating-the made}? v ,E is the usual wheel in the pilot house or anyother suitable point, which is provided witha hub about which thecablesF F are wound in opposite directions. These cables extend oversuitable sheaves to the stern of the boatwhere they are provided withloops G and G respectively, which pass over sheaves H H, which aresecured to the arm D. From thence they pass over suitable sheaves intoproximity to the power cylinder and there they are formed into loops II, which pass respectively over the sheaves J J, which'are secured tothe frame K, attached to the ends of the stem L, which extends both waysfrom the valve M in the valve cylin der N. i

The frame K is formed of rigid material and spans the valve casing, itsouter end being rigidlyconnected to the opposite ends of the valve stemL, so that as the frame is moved, the stem and its valve arecorrespondin'gly moved, the extent of the movement being limited by theextent of the movement of the valve.

0 is the power cylinder in which is the piston 0' from which extends thepiston rod P through both. ends. 7 P are cross-heads on the ends of thepiston rod and P are guide rods secured to the ends of the cross-headsand serving to guide it in guide ways formed on the sides of the powercylinder. v

Q Q are cables or chains secured at one end to the cross-heads and attheir other ends secured (from opposite sides) to the a quadrant passingover suitable intermediate sheaves, sov that motion of the piston in itscylinder in either direction will correspond- .ingly move the rudder.

The valve cylinder is provided centrally with an inlet port acommunicating with any source of fluid supply under pressure. Gentrallyaround the valve M is an annular passage of sufficient length so thatwhen'the valve is in its normal central position, as shown in Fig. 3,the passage way b will connect into the ports 0 c which connectrespectively to opposite ends of the cylinder 0.

The valve is provided with the tubular too heads at having'a series ofrestrictedapertures e therein, adapted to be registered with the ports cwhich form exhaust ports through the valve and connect thecylinder-through the exhaust chambers f with the exhaust pipe g. Thisexhaust pipe-is provided at some suitable point with a restricted portor. passage Way h which I preferably form so that it may be adjusted.This may be aceomplished asshown in Fig. 6, by means of a screw 1;extending across the'exit pipe 9 and adapted to be adjusted more or lesstherein.

The parts being thus constructed theirop; eration is as follows: In Fig.3 .-the valve and piston are shown in their normal position 1 with therudder in its central position. It will be seen by inspection of thisfigure that the valve is located centrally of thevalve chest andthesteam from the boiler can pass through the port a, through theannular port 6 around the valve and to the opposite ends of the cylinderthrough the ports a c, balancing the pressure upon opposite sides of,the piston. Now if it is desired to change the course of the dinarymanner.

boat, the operator turns the wheel in the orthe directionof the arrowFig. 1') will draw upon the cable F and slacken the cable F cor---respondingly, the sheaves H- H' remaining stationary. The cables willrun over. those sheaves without affecting the rudder, while ithe sheavesJ J will be shifted laterally by the movement of the cable, which willshift the valve in the valve chest to the position shown in Fig. 4."This connects the right hand end of the cylinder with the exhaust pipethrough the ports e and maintains theleftjhaud end of the cylinder incommunication with the steam-pressure.- The result will @be that thepiston will be moved to the right correspondingly turning the rudder"through the chains Q Q. Now if the wheel be stopped after a shortmovement the shifting of the piston, and through the connectiondescribed,- the cross- -heads P will shift the valve M'cbrrespondinglythrough the loops I I and sheaves J J for it will be evident that if thecables at the wheel end are held firmly and the cross-heads P are movedit can only be accomplished by a lateral movement of the valve'throughthe connections described. As soon as the valve has been moved in thismanner to its middle position, the exhaust will be cut-'ofi and steampressure will be applied'to the opposite sides of the piston which willhold it in its adjusted position.

the connections of thecables described will permit of the operatingofthe rudder from the wheel without in any way changing the same. This isaccomplished by the necessarily limited movement of the frame K whichiscarried by the valve stem L. As one of the cables is wound on the drumand the other slackened, the frame K will be checked in its movement bythe limited play of the rod L and thereby form a fixed fulcrum, overwhich The wheel being turned in located,va controlling valve for In casethe-steam' should be-shut ofi from the power cylinder,

the cable 5tss ss.,. The continued' drawing movement of the cable willnecessarily move thecross head and thereby the rudder. This constructionand arrangement 'of parts en-' ables me to apply mydevice without anyparticularchange to boats a ready equipped with the hand steeringapparatus, without inter-I v fering withthe ordinary use of such hand-steering apparatus when desired and yet give anexceptionally efficientsteam steering apparatus.

rBy restrictingthe' eXhaust'I makemovement of the rudder steadier andprevent the possibility of racing of the piston and the ftoo suddenshifting of the rudder. v

iWhatI claim as my invention is I 1. In asteering gear, the combinationpower cylinder, a piston. therein, a valve to control said piston havingsupply ports toadmit pressure to both sides of the piston at the 1 sametime, connections from the oppositeends of the piston to the rudder, asteering wheel, connections from the wheel to the op- .posite ends ofthe valve and the piston, sub- 1 1 stantially as described. 4

the same, a cylinder in which said piston is the cylinder having supplyports for admitting equal 2. In a steering gear-{the combination withthe rudder, oflapo'w'er piston for actuating 'pre'ssureto, both sides ofthe piston-fa re-u strictedexhaust passage from the cylinder," and awheel for actuating the, valve, substantially as described.

3; In asteeringgear,thecombination with" a wheel, a rudder, and a valvecontrolled power cylinder, of, cable connection from the wheel onopposite sides, sheaves on the tiller on which said cableis looped,sheaves on the valve operating bar over which said cable is looped, anda piston rod extending both sides of the piston to the ends of which theoppo-, site ends of the cables are secured, substantially as described.l e

4. In asteeringgear, the combination-of a power cylinder, a pistontherein, connections 'from the piston to the rudder, avalve chamber,avalve having ports adapted 'to admit ends of the valve chamber, a plateconnecting the opposite ends of the rod beside the valve chamber,sheaves on.the plate, and cables' from-the rudder passing in oppositedirections aroundthe sheavesand connected to opposite ends of the pistonrod of the .power piston, substantially as described. v

1 5. In a steering gear, the combination of a power cylinder, a pistontherein connected from opposite sides to opposite sides of the rudderquadrant, a valve controlling the admission of fluid to the cylinder, awheel, and

connection from the Wheel to the rudder, valve and piston,

whereby the wheel may be used to operate the valve or the rudder,substantiallyas described. r 6. In a steeringgear, the combination ofthe v I 5 steam to both sides of the piston at the same time, a pistonrod extending through both p owercylinder, ayalvechamber, the valyelntestimony whereof I affix my signature in M therein, haying tubularheads d provided presence of two witnesses.

' with a. series of restricted ports e ports conv Q trolled by theval've to admit steam to both DANIEL MARSHMAN M N' 5 ends ofthe'eylinder atthe same time,'and- Witnesses:

CHAS. W. ORTON,.

means for actuating the valve, substantially 1 JOHN B. KANOUSE.

fas described. I

